uSwitch Mobiles

Samsung Galaxy A 2016: New range adds Samsung Pay

Samsung has pulled the wrappers off three new phones in its affordable Galaxy A range, with two of the devices equipped with support for its Samsung Pay mobile payments system.

That makes the Galaxy A handsets the first non–flagship Samsung phones to have access to the service, which is currently trying to take on rival platforms Apple Pay and Android Pay in the US.

Samsung Pay has yet to launch in the UK. And until now only top-end Galaxy S and Note phones were compatible.

The Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7 both feature screens with full 1080p HD, which are sized at 5.2 and 5.5–inches respectively.

They come with octa–core processors, as well as 13-megapixel rear cameras and five-megapixel efforts up front and 16GB storage with space for a 128GB microSD card.

The only real let down is the fact that they'll launch with the now-superseded Lollipop version of Android, rather than this year’s Marshmallow edition.

Pitched as an entry–level option, the Galaxy A3 does not support Samsung Pay.

But it does a feature a not-unimpressive spec sheet that takes in a 720p recording, 4.7–inch screen, a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and the same camera and storage specifications as the A5 and A7.

The phones are due to launch in China later this month before getting a global release early in the new year. Samsung will be hoping that the inclusion of its payments service can help it gain ground after a tough 2015.

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